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Community Corner

Get Ready for Monarch Fiesta Day

The celebration of Monarch butterflies will be held Saturday, Sept. 3, at Black Hill Regional Park in Boyds.

Imagine my surprise when I looked into my garden and saw a colorful orange and black butterfly.  Apart from a few European cabbage whites and the occasional swallowtail, I don't see many butterflies in my yard. 

So I had to consult a field guide to be certain.  Yes, the coloring was correct.  The stripes were in the right places.  It was definitely a Monarch butterfly.  I was so excited that I had to take a picture.

What is it about Monarch butterflies that intrigues people?

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"In the insect world, they are unique because they have a long distance round-trip migration," said Denise Gibbs, park naturalist at Black Hill Regional Park in Boyds. 

Gibbs is gearing up for Monarch Fiesta Day, an annual celebration of this butterfly to be held Saturday, Sept. 3, at Black Hill Regional Park. The festival has "something for everyone at every age group and knowledge level," said Gibbs.

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Planned events range from Monarch-themed crafts to an insect hunt.  Guests of all ages can observe Gibbs tagging and releasing migrating Monarch butterflies.  Visitors are invited to purchase nature photography, souvenirs and other butterfly-related items. There will also be a raffle of a complete Monarch Waystation — a garden designed for Monarchs — at a cost of $5 per ticket.  Proceeds will go toward Monarch Watch, a Monarch conservation and cooperative butterfly tagging program, for their educational outreach programs.

For adults attending the festival, Gibbs recommends the tour of a Monarch Waystation.  Guests will learn how to plant a garden for Monarchs.  Lists of the best nectar plants to feed adult Monarchs will be available, along with information on easy-to-grow milkweeds to feed the caterpillars.  Participants will be given free Monarch nectar plants to take home.  

"I want people to know that there is something they can do to help Monarchs in their yards and communities," Gibbs said.  "People can help by planting milkweed for the caterpillars and nectar sources for the adults."

Monarch butterflies can use our help.  Their numbers rose from 1992 — the year that Monarch Watch was created — until 1997, when the population suddenly crashed. Researchers aren't sure what caused the decline, but they suspect that habitat loss and pesticide use contributed to the loss.

Monarchs are unable to survive freezing temperatures, so hundreds of millions of these butterflies migrate from eastern North America to Mexico each fall.  Their fall migration occurs during hurricane season, forcing the tiny insects to face a multitide of dangers from the weather, in addition to threats of predation and damage from cars and other human-induced activities.  Because of tagging programs like Monarch Watch, researchers now know the precise migratory paths of these butterflies. 

"It's a pretty amazing thing," said Gibbs. 

Monarchs overwinter by clinging to the trees in the oyamel fir forests of central Mexico at an altitude of 10,000 feet above sea level.  A single insect rarely makes the entire trip; the next generation must pick up the journey where the last generation left off.  The little guest in my garden was likely two or three generations removed from the prior year's overwintering Monarchs.

"The whole thing is almost miraculous," said Gibbs.  "That they can [migrate] and survive it."  

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Join in the celebration of these amazing insects at Monarch Fiesta Day at Black Hill Regional Park on September 3, 2011 from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m.  This free event will be held rain or shine. 

Most activities will be ongoing throughout the event and will be held at or near the Black Hill Visitor Center at 20926 Lake Ridge Drive in Boyds; however, some activities are scheduled for specific times and locations.  Please refer to the schedule or call 301-528-3481 for more detailed information.    

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